Andrew Johnson's Presidency (1865-1869) Flashcards
1
Q
Andrew Johnson’s
Reconstruction Aims
A
- Wanted to restore the Southern states as quickly as possible
- Shared the racial views of most white Southerners and appeared unconcerned about the plight of ex-slaves
- Introduced the right Reconstruction policies but lacked the ability to carry them out
- He favoured leniency for the South and had no wish to promote the positions of ex-slaves
- Accepted the Wade-Davis Bill for the oath of loyalty
2
Q
Radical Republicans
A
- Republican members of Congress who strongly opposed slavery and believed that the South should be shown no leniency after the Civil War
- Wanted to lead the Reconstruction of the Confederate states to ensure that the abolishment of slavery is working effectively
- Supported African-Americans and wanted to promote the positions of ex-slaves
- By the time Congress met in 1865, many Congressmen, including moderate Republicans had serious doubts about Johnson’s leniency towards the South, partly due to Black Codes
3
Q
The Black Codes
(1865-1866)
A
- Created and passed by state governments in the South
- Included: African American’s deemed to be unemployed could be forced into working for white employers, children of AA’s could be forced into working on plantations as “apprentices”, AA’s could be prevented from receiving education
- These laws “re-introduced slavery through the back door”
- Johnson did not introduce these laws but he didn’t do anything to prevent them from happening
- Overturned by Congress in 1866
4
Q
The Civil Rights Bill
(1866)
A
- Instead of working with the moderate Republicans, Johnson sided with the Democrats
- Congress passed a bill strengthening the powers of the Freedmen’s Bureau which Johnson vetoed
- This angered the AA’s in the South as Johnson was making Reconstruction more difficult
- Moderate and radical Republicans teamed together to create the Civil Rights Bill giving minimum rights to AA’s
- For the first time in history, Congress overturned the presidential veto winning the 2/3 majority
5
Q
The 14th Amendment
(1868)
A
- States that all people born in America or who were naturalised were considered US citizens and were guaranteed equality before the law
- This was to ensure that the Civil Rights Bill could not be changed by the future Congress
- It also gave the federal authorities the right to intervene if states contravened its rules
- The Amendment was rejected by all the ex-Confederate states except Tennessee and failed to get the approval of 75% of the states necessary to become law
6
Q
Radical Reconstruction
(The Reconstruction Acts)
A
- Put pressure on the South to ensure the passage of the Amendment
- The Military Reconstruction Bill (1867): imposed military rule on the South with the exception of Tennessee, 10 remaining states were grouped into 5 military districts, each placed under a federal commander
- The Command of the Army Act: reduced Johnson’s military powers
- The Tenure Office Act: prevented Johnson from removing a host of office-holders, this was to try and protect the Secretary of State Edwin Stanton-> a fierce critic of Johnson and a staunch Radical Republican, complied with Congress Reconstruction
7
Q
Andrew Johnson’s
Impeachment Trial
A
- Johnson ignored the Tenure Office Act and dismissed Stanton
- Republicans decided to impeach Johnson with the proceedings taking place in the Senate in 1868
- Congress issued 11 articles of impeachment against Johnson which included the removal of Johnson and replacing him with Thomas w/o permission of the Senate
- After a 2 month trial, 35 Senators voted against Johnson and 19 voted for him
- This was 1 short off the 2/3 majority needed to impeach him
- He remained President for the rest of the year but his credibility and effectiveness were destroyed
